Dave Kendall was a goddamn pioneer.
Before alternative music was mainstream, Dave Kendall brought it to MTV every Sunday at midnight and guaranteed that I would be blearly-eyed on Mondays.
The show was 120 Minutes, and it was groundbreaking.
But pioneers have their detractors, so in 1990, the Whitman Samplers combined cut-up samples of Dave speaking with AC/DC's "Back In Black" to make a rather funny song that amused Dave Kendall in life.
Dave Kendall passed away yesterday. This may be the first time we have paid tribute to a non-musician, but he was perhaps the one personality that shaped my musical taste, more than any other, and he will be missed.
And he really connected with fans. Here he is talking to a completely random Robyn Hitchcock fan on the street.
That fan was, of course, Matt Pinfield, who took over 120 Minutes when Dave moved on. I'm going to close this post with Matt's tribute to Dave.
Rest easy, Dave.
Heartbroken to hear about the passing of Dave Kendall.
— Matt Pinfield (@mattpinfield) July 14, 2026
Dave was one of the true believers. Long before alternative music found its way into the mainstream, he was there every week on 120 Minutes, introducing people to bands that would go on to define an era. He didn’t just host… pic.twitter.com/IVTHRV301i
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